


one glance and i knew i was yours

by blueboysimp



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Baker Hunk (Voltron), Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Matt Holt, College Student Hunk (Voltron), College Student Lance (Voltron), Coran is allura's uncle, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Engineer Hunk (Voltron), F/F, Firefighter Keith (Voltron), Firefighter Shiro (Voltron), Fluff and Angst, Gay Adam (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Shiro (Voltron), Hawaiian Hunk (Voltron), Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Italian Matt Holt, Italian Pidge | Katie Holt, Japanese Keith (Voltron), Japanese Shiro (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Lawyer Allura, Lesbian Allura (Voltron), Lesbian Romelle (Voltron), M/M, Married Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Matt Holt is a Good Sibling, Mutual Pining, Original Character Death(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pansexual Hunk (Voltron), Photographer Lance (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Strangers to Friends to Lovers, adam owns a bookstore, allura in a suit because yes, bakery owner coran, cursing but only when children are not present, elementary school teacher romelle, eventual deaf keith, forensic pathologist pidge, hard of hearing Keith, hunk is an amazing dad, hunks daughter is a top tier matchmaker, hunks daughter is just as much of a cinnamin roll as he is, journalist matt, keith was in an accident and is gradually losing his hearing, lance is like the uncle of the decade, pidge is just chillin, single dad hunk (voltron), slow burn kinda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:15:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24503728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueboysimp/pseuds/blueboysimp
Summary: "But he's always looking at you!!"At this Lance snapped his head down so hard and fast he could practically feel the soreness that was to come later."N-no I'm sure he doesn't sweetheart." Lance spluttered, he had never seen this a guy in his whole life.Lance was an aspiring photographer, it was practically his job to notice things, especially when said pretty thing was a deliciously grizzled, piece of man that he'd held eye contact with just seconds ago.There was no way he'd never noticed this guy before."He does! He's even looking right now."Lance swears he was going to have to ice his neck as soon as he got home because this was ridiculous, and the  fact that his body currently didn't know the meaning of discreet was absolutely the worst.or - Lance is certain things happen for a reason, he's a firm believer in that, but why is a 6 year old taking it upon themselves to set him up with the very attractive firefighter that seems to love coming to the bakery. He swears this kid gets more involved in other people's love lives than she does her homework.
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Allura/Romelle (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron) & Original Child Character(s), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) & Original Child Character(s), Matt Holt & Pidge | Katie Holt, Matt Holt/Hunk
Comments: 17
Kudos: 195





	1. Chapter 1

The thick, heavenly smell of freshly baked pastries enveloped the moderately sized room. The rich scent enticing those walking by as the mid-afternoon lunch rush continued and patrons moved in and out of the establishment. Those entering relished in the safety and warmth that enveloped them as they briefly escaped the raging cold that whirled around outside.

The walls of the bakery had been painted in soothing warm colors that instantly caught the eyes of any onlookers and tourists that were around. It was large enough to have booths and tables for those who wanted to stay around to talk or study. Pictures of staff and frequent customers had decorated a large bulletin board on the far side of the shop.

Lance had fallen in love with the place as soon as he stepped in all those years ago.

He had been a frequent visitor of the bakery ever since it’d opened, but as the winter weather began drawing near, and finals vastly approached, he found himself visiting frequently.

Especially since Hunk finally landed himself a part-time job there. He had been struggling the last four years trying to balance his studies while also raising his daughter.

* * *

_ Hunk had been a junior when his girlfriend, Amala, had told him she'd been pregnant and wanted to keep the baby. They of course hadn't been prepared for it what with them being so young, but the notion itself had managed to mature them far beyond their years. Gone were Hunk's days of running around with Lance doing God knows what. _

_ Hunk had become even more of a nervous wreck than he already was, especially after telling his parents. They'd been shocked at the news but had held their arms open in support for the budding parents. Amala's parents hadn't taken to the news as kindly, choosing to disown their daughter in the process. _

_ Still, the couple persisted, spending the next couple of months preparing for what was to come. _

_ Their time was spent with both of them balancing their schoolwork and parental research, Hunk taking shifts at any job he could get his hands on so that he could save money for the hospital visits. His parents helped them on occasions where he and Amala couldn't make ends meet, and Lance and his family also offered their support in any way they could. _

_ Lance took it upon himself to help Amala every second Hunk wasn't able to, reassuring his friends when the stress and situations of doubt got too high. He had faith in them as parents and would give them the moral support they needed. _

_ Fortunately, the school they went to had a program for situations like this, and since they were already so close to graduating it eased off some of the pressure. _

_ For a while, it seemed as though things were starting to get better. _

_ That was until a month before the due date. _

_ Hunk had been at work when he received a call from his mother about Amala going into labor. _

_ It hadn’t even been a second before he was booting through the shop's entrance and sprinting toward the hospital down the block, ignoring the chilly mid-October air that bit at his skin. _

_ Upon arriving he rushed to Amala’s room dodging doctors and patients as he pushed his legs to take him closer and closer to where he needed to be. _

_ He found his mother who had been talking to a doctor willows himself to slow down slightly. _

_ As he got closer he could hear the blood rush around in his veins from nervousness and his chest heaved up and down as his lungs strained to catch his breath. _

_ "Mom?" _

_ He watched as his mother turned to look at him at the sound of his voice. He took in her watery eyes and trembling frown as stepped closer to her son and held onto his cheeks, _

_ “They’re not going to make it.” she whispered, voice hoarse and strained from the weariness of the situation, “The doctor is trying his best but he still says the outcome doesn’t look good.” _

_ Hunk felt tense at the words. Hunk watched as the world shifted around him. He thought he heard someone call out to him but he hadn’t been sure. He could only focus on what his mother had told him. _

_ ‘Amala is going to die’ _

_ The heaving of his chest returned as his lungs tried to grasp at air. The cold from the air he just ran though seemed to return as he felt its icy tendrils snake itself around him. _

_ ‘The baby is going to die’ _

_ His vision blurred. _

**_ "They’re both going to die’ _ **

_ “Hunk!! Hunk buddy, listen to me!! You gotta breathe for me, okay!?” _

_ Hunk was roughly brought out of his trance by a strong squeeze of his shoulders and a familiar voice. Glancing up through his haze he could make out the form of his best friend. _

_ “Lance?” he choked out the name, his throat dry from the dry heaving he was still doing. _

_ “It’s me, buddy! I’m here, I gotcha. I’m with you.” Lance’s voice cut through the remaining haze as Hunk began to gain some control again. _

_ “A-Amala... the b-baby... they’re not...” _

_ “Shhh, I got you, buddy. I’m here with you. I need you to breathe for me. Can you do that?” _

_ Hunk felt Lance’s arms wrap around his arms as he coaxed Hunk into taking a deep breath. _

_ “L-Lance... th-“ _

_ “Don’t mention it, buddy. I’ve always got your back.” Lance said, cutting him off with a large smile. Hunk nodded in return, appreciation heavy in his expression. _

_ “Excuse me, are you all here for Amala Jackson?” a voice bringing the attention of the two boys, both scrambling toward the doctor in a rush of questions. “Is the father present?” _

_ Hunk raised his hand sheepishly and the doctor's steel gaze softened at the motion. _

_ “Are they...” Hunk’s voice was barely above a whisper. Torn between knowing and not knowing. _

_ “I’m sorry to say the mother did not make it.” _

_ At that Hunk sputtered as choked out sob ripped its way through his trembling lips. Fresh tears blurring his vision once again. _

_ There was a pause. _

_ “Wait, you said the mother didn’t make it... did the baby- is the baby-“ Beside him, he could feel Lance tense up as he asked the question. Though he was doing better at keeping it together, the emotion in his voice could still be heard as it filled the gap. _

_ “We were able to stabilize the baby, yes...” the doctor began, at this Hunk’s head shot up quick enough to make his neck hurt but he ignored it. _

_ “They’re okay? Can I see them?” Hunk rushed out. _

_ “You can but you must know that even though we’ve stabilized her. She must be kept here for the time being to make sure of her health.” the doctor continued, smiling slightly at the hope that filled Hunk's face. Motioning them to follow. _

_ “Her... It’s her. I have a daughter. I'm really a dad to a baby girl. I’ve got a baby girl.” Hunk began sobbing. Lance wrapped a hand around his shoulder as they made their way to a room. _

_ Hunks' daughter had been placed into a clear incubator in hopes of keeping track of her status. _

_ He gasped in awe as he got closer. _

_ She was tiny. _

_ Her eyes had been closed and her finger twitched as she shifted but most importantly was the slight crinkle her small nose did when she breathed out. _

**_ She was breathing. _ **

_ Hunk felt relief crash into his body so hard he had nearly fallen to the ground because of it. _

_ “Hi, sweetie. Hi. It’s Daddy. You’re so beautiful. You look as beautiful as your mommy did. I love you so much babygirl. I promise to take care of you. I’ll love you twice as much for both me and mommy, okay? My miracle. My Ayah.” _

* * *

Hunk had spent every possible second by her side after that.

Soon the time for Hunk and Lance to graduate had neared and Hunk, true to his word, focused on getting into a good college in hopes of bettering his financial situation and giving Ayah the security she deserved.

The adjustment had been difficult but Lance had of course been there every step of the way declaring it was his duty as her godfather to be there.

They both had to take a year off to adjust but it had been worth it.

Now finishing their last winter semester of their senior year in college.

After years of unstable part-time jobs, Hunk had eternally great-full when the bakery opened and its owner, an eccentric, ginger-haired man by the name of Coran was nice enough to give Hunk the chance to work there. The man had even gone as far as providing Hunk with flexible enough hours to work around. It was safe to say Hunk was ecstatic and was taking up a shift any time he wasn’t studying, in class, or taking care of Ayah.

Speaking of Ayah, Lance stretched in his seat as he glanced down toward the pig-tailed toddler that sat across from him.

He had picked her up from her first-grade class after his own classes were done for the day.

The little girl wasn’t even 6 and a half and she was already smarter than most of the kids in her class.

She had skin the color of rich mocha and big round cheeks that were decorated in a disarray of freckles. Her doe-like eyes were a dark green almost hazel like color that had managed to coax a few cookies from Lance a few times before dinner when Hunk wasn’t looking. She was dressed in her favorite yellow overall dress, with a white undersleeve shirt, black leggings, and little brown booties. Her dark brown, almost black hair fell down to her waist but was currently pulled into the two fishtail braids that Lance had done this morning before leaving her with Pidge so that she could take her to her preschool. Lance had a review early in the morning and Hunk had stayed up late studying so he let him rest as he brought Ayah over to Pidge’s apartment next door.

Pidge was a classmate that he and Hunk had during their Sophomore year and the three had quickly become friends afterward. Pidge had begun college early due to her superior intellect and photographic memory and at the time had been working on a doctorate in forensic pathology. Pidge often said she was not very fond of kids but her opinion soon changed after meeting Ayah.

Lance was brought out of his thoughts as he heard the tiny taps of hands hitting the table.

Looking forward he watched as the child attempted to locate the position of her juice box, refusing to break focus from the picture she was coloring.

Chuckling, a grin spread itself across his face as he moved the juice box closer to her hand for her.

“Thank gosh.” she sighed lowly, bringing the straw to her lips as she continued her assignment while simultaneously bringing another chuckle from Lance’s lips.

“You’re very welcome Princessa,” Lance said, the smile never leavening his face. With that, she looked up at him and smiled back at him before returning back to her work.

Looking around the bakery he saw Hunk working hard at the counter ringing up orders.

The shop hadn’t been as crowded now as it had been earlier. Few people sat around in the booths that were provided by the establishment, Ayah, and himself included.

His survey of the room was stopped abruptly as he made eye contact with someone a few seats away. Light blue eyes meeting purplish-gray ones.

Looking closely Lance saw that the eyes belonged to a boy. A boy with smooth, ivory skin save for the jagged scar that had seemed to make itself comfortable on the guy’s cheek.

The guy in question wore a red oversized sweater and black skinny jeans that were accompanied with black boots. Even though the oversized sweater it was noticeable how he was actually significantly more muscular than Lance, he might’ve even been a bit taller too. His hair was black and styled messily on top of his head, reaching down to his neck.

‘Is this guy really wearing a mullet and looking good while doing so?’ Lance didn’t have time to process that thought before the guy in question jumped and looked away quickly. Almost as if being burned by the notion of getting caught staring.

Lance almost pouted at the lack of attention. Almost.

“Uncle Lance!”

The voice of his goddaughter snapped him out of his trance, a blush taking over his cheeks as he looked toward the girl in front of him.

“Yes, my little gumdrop?” strained hoping the young girl didn't notice his distress and flushed cheeks.

"Do you know that man?" she asked, munching on the croissant that her father had given.

"No, I don't know him." glancing away Lance took it upon himself to look at anything other than the girl in front of him.

"But he's always looking at you!!" 

At this Lance snapped his head down so hard and fast he could practically feel the soreness that was to come later.

"N-no I'm sure he doesn't sweetheart." Lance spluttered, he had never seen this a guy in his whole life.

Lance was an aspiring photographer, it was practically his job to notice things,  _ especially _ when said pretty thing was a deliciously grizzled, piece of man that he'd held eye contact with just seconds ago.

There was no way he'd never noticed this guy before.

"He does! He's even looking right now."

Lance swears he was going to have to ice his neck as soon as he got home because this was ridiculous, and the fact that his body currently didn't know the meaning of discreet was absolutely the worst. It didn't matter though because he was back to looking into those eyes again before he quickly glanced away hoping to somehow play it off like he was just looking around the room again.

Okay so the guy was actually staring, but so what. It didn’t actually mean he was looking at Lance; he could have just been zoned out.

“Excuse me!” Lance wondered how such a small body could carry such a loud voice.

“I’m sorry Ayah, I wasn’t paying atte-” Lance began but stopped abruptly when he looked over and saw that the girl was no longer in front of him.

Jolting up he looked around in a panic only to find her talking to the man of the evening.

“Ayah! Don’t do that! You scared me!” Lance yelled walking over to the little girl as she continued to harass the man in front of her.

“I’m sorry uncle Lance but I wanted to ask him a question.” the little girl said exasperatedly, it was almost comical in the way she attracted as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, Lance would have laughed but he was supposed to be reprimanding her at the moment.

“Yes, but you don’t just walk up to strangers! You know better than that, now go back to your coloring book!” Lance exclaimed, forcing his voice down to a rough hiss as to not gain any more attention from everyone in the room.

Ayah pouted as she trudged back to the booth they were previously occupying.

Lance took in a deep sigh as he dragged his hands down his face, the whole ordeal seeming to add years on to his life as he tried to steady his heartbeat.

A cough brought his attention to the guy next to him.

Turning fully Lance was now looking directly at the guy from before.

_ ‘Of course, he’s taller than me, attractive asshole.’ _

“Uh hi!” Lance started with a wave, ”I’m so sorry about that! Ayah can be a little unpredictable sometimes so I'm sorry if we interrupted you or anything,” Lance rambled, his gaze had ended up on the floor as he tried to apologize.

The guy had yet to say anything and Lance was beginning to wonder if he’d just walked away.

Looking up. Lance gasped, the purplish/grey eyes from before were now right in front of him and Lance found himself entranced again.

That is until the guy started waving at his hands trying to get Lance’s attention but overall remained silent. 

Lance's expression turned to that of confusion as he watched them before realizing that the guy was trying to communicate with him.

Lance cursed himself for never fully taking up sign language, the most he knew how to sign was ‘hello’ and ‘friends’.

“Wait! Wait! I uh-” Lance began holding up his hand in hopes pausing the conversation. Glancing around he looked for something to write with so that he could talk to the guy in front of him.

After finding nothing he sighed in disappointment, a frown taking over his face before he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Looking up he saw the guy was holding out his hand.

Confusion replaces the disappointment but even so, Lance returns the gesture, holding out his hand.

Instead of shaking it as Lance thought, the guy instead gently takes Lance’s hand and begins tracing something into his hand. 

Lance feels his eyebrows furrow and shoots the guy a questioning look to which he's met with a nod towards their joined hands.

Focusing, Lance notices that he’s making the same shapes over and over, almost as if… spelling?

_ ‘He’s trying to spell out what he wants to say’ _

Lance feels out each letter and starts to put them together.

_ “HI" _

_ “I’M” _

_ “KEITH” _

Lance feels a smile break out on his face as he quickly grabs the guy- _ Keith's _ hand and begins doing the same.

_ “HI” _

_ “I’M" _

_ “LANCE” _

He’s met with a smile in response.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi to everyone following along with this story. I honestly didn't think I'd get any readers so I didn't put up an authors note for the first chapter. This is the first story that I've ever posted/fully tried writing so I'm sorry if it's not as good, I'm a little rusty.  
> but anyway here's chapter 2! I hope you guys enjoy and thanks a bunch!! <3 - Indigo x

Ever since his accident, Keith had the unfortunate pleasure of waking up some days completely deaf. According to his doctor, it was only going to continue getting worse.

Eventually, Keith would be absolutely 100% deaf, and seeing as the days he spent unable to hear increased, it could happen at any moment now.

Keith despised it. 

He’d been a reckless person his entire life, choosing to do whatever his gut told him to and running with the punches as they came.

Ultimately it had been part of the reason why he joined the fire department in the first place.

It’d also been the reason why he was in his current condition.

Both his brother Shiro and Shiro’s husband Adam always claimed, despite Keith’s denial, that Keith had never been the same since the accident. 

Adam had lived next door to Shiro and Keith his entire life so he had become very fluent in the language that both brothers had developed over the years, and still, he was adamant that Keith was different than he used to be.

Keith, like most people, happened to be a creature of habit. He stuck to the things he knew and relished in their natural familiarity.

Except, he hadn’t been like that before.

Keith had hated anything that was a routine. The notion of it used to make his skin itch and burn with an intensity that soon had him ditching whatever it was that he was supposed to be doing in favor of _anything_ else.

But now, he'd rather eat glass than stray from the normalcy he created for himself.

On the days when he could hear, he’d go into work and spend the day feeling just the slightest bit normal. 

On the days when he couldn’t, he’d head over to the gym after sending Shiro a message telling him he wasn’t coming in. He’d quickly scarf down some breakfast and carry on with the day.

Upon arriving at the gym, Keith would make his way over to the punching bags and get right down to it. Gradually increasing his workout until he was drenched in sweat, his stomach was begging for him to feed it.

He would return to his apartment to shower and would cook himself some lunch before heading over to Adam’s bookstore. Occasionally when he wasn’t up for cooking, he would head over to Coran’s bakery that was nestled around the corner.

Going to Coran's shop was the only thing Keith did differently, though, technically, he'd been there enough times that anyone who was around probably still counted it as a normal thing for him.

And that’s how he ended up sitting in his usual seat, with his strawberry tart and black coffee at the end of the lunch rush.

Shiro’s friend Matt would probably say Keith’s life was, in other words, boring. Keith could count on one hand the times' Matt (and occasionally Adam) complained about how much of Keith’s life was like clockwork.

_Speaking of clockwork._

Keith had his habits, he _knows_ he does, but that doesn’t mean all of them were things he likes to do. More subconscious than anything.

Point and case being that at some point he had ended up watching one of the patrons that frequented the bakery.

Keith is in no way a creep, but there was just _something_ about the guy that caught his attention.

The guy had been as much of a devoted patron to Coran’s bakery as Keith was. He usually sat in one of the booths by the window and was normally accompanied by a little kid.

Keith had started coming to the bakery once it opened, the smell being too enticing not to try it out, and it ultimately wasn’t long before he found himself there a lot more often then he’d like to admit.

Keith hadn’t realized when it started but he suddenly found himself watching this guy and his tiny companion until Keith would leave the bakery.

Anyone who noticed would have most likely pegged him as a creep, but in reality, Keith had no ill will behind it.

Keith wasn’t very interested in many people, he never really had been.

If it wasn’t for Shiro’s friends being so insistent, he’d have spent his free time by himself. 

So it shocked him when he found himself distracted by long limbs, and blue eyes, and bronze skin, and a smile that had him weak in the knees despite already sitting down.

Keith was absolutely smitten with the guy and he had never even spoken to him!

Not like he would bother.

Keith knew that most people weren’t jumping at the chance to date someone that couldn’t hear them. Even though Keith _could_ hear most days, it wouldn’t stay like that for long. 

He wasn’t willing to pursue something that he knew wouldn’t end well for either person when all was said and done.

So no, better to save himself the trouble.

It was unlikely he was ever going to talk to the guy anyway.

That being said though, what was the harm with just discreetly watching from a safe, inconspicuous distance.

No harm, no foul.

Except for the fact that the world seems to absolutely hate his guts.

Out of all the days, the universe decided to go ahead and choose that moment to have the guy suddenly lookup. Keith's eyes are staring into cerulean ones, and it takes everything for him not to combust right there and then. 

Their little moment of staring ends just as quickly as it started when the guy turns to look over at the kid in front of him.

Right.

A kid.

Which obviously meant he was most likely in a relationship and he is otherwise engaged.

Keith’s thoughts are interrupted when he’s suddenly drowning and kicks himself for not even attempting to look away after the first time he got caught.

Today was just _great_.

The eyes quickly glance away again and Keith feels himself begin to relax only for that to be cut short when he’s suddenly being attacked by small hands. 

_“Where did this kid come from?”_

The little girl in question is adamant, speaking fast enough that Keith is only able to read little to none of the words that she’s saying. He makes out what he thinks is ‘uncle” but he’s unsure.

It's not long though before her guardian walks over and begins to chastise her and the kid leaves with a pout, and for a second Keith thinks he’s been saved.

Well, that is until he realizes the said guardian is the guy that Keith’s been eyeballing since day one.

_“Freckles?”_

Keith is blindsided by the little specks that litter the guy’s cheeks and he briefly wonders if the guy has them anywhere else, before he feels himself flush at the image his mind creates.

He’s pulled from his thoughts when the guy starts to, what he can only assume, apologizing and feels something inside him break at the mere action.

_Of course._

His first and most likely only opportunity to talk to the guy and Keith can’t even hear what he has to say. 

Gradually he begins waving his arms in hopes of gaining his attention, but it seems all for naught.

The guy pieces it together and tries to find something that he could maybe write on but it's no use, Keith hadn’t brought anything and no one was at the register.

He watches as the guy actually pouts in disappointment.

_“Cute.”_

The action itself is genuine enough that it makes Keith feel his chest start to blaze up at the sight of it. 

Before he knows it, he’s reaching out his hand and hopes that the guy gets the hint and does the same.

He does.

Hesitantly, Keith moves his hand closer to the other’s. 

He gives him a chance to pull back in case he gets uncomfortable, but the guy doesn’t. 

Instead, he just allows Keith to take hold of his hand, and Keith relishes in the warmth that the bronze skin provides.

Keith traces a greeting into the inside of the guy’s wrist and it's not long before the guy gets the message and mimics his actions.

He learns his name is Lance and Keith finds himself wishing he could hear him say it.

Nonetheless, he grins at Lance, feeling the most normal he’s felt in the past month.

The moment doesn’t last very long though. 

He feels his phone vibrate and takes it out to see he’s got two missed calls from Shiro and one from Shiro’s husband Adam, which is absolutely stupid because he wouldn’t have been able to hear them anyway.

Either way it’s time for him to go now, knowing Adam will question him to no end about where he’s been. 

In any case he’s probably taken up Lance’s time, besides Lance must have other things to do than to be around a guy like him.

So he forces a smile, traces “see you” on the palm of Lance’s hand and makes his way back to Adam’s, and if during Adam’s questioning he can still feel the warmth from Lance’s hand on his fingertips then maybe breaking from his routine was okay for just today.

* * *

Lance was going insane.

At least, that was the only rational explanation he could come up with.

He didn’t know what the fuss was all about.

So what, he met some guy at the bakery, big deal.

Except, it hadn’t felt like Keith was just some guy.

In their short interaction, Lance had learned two things:

One was that there was something nice about the way Keith touched his hand and two was that Lance really liked the way Keith looked when he smiled.

But as soon as Keith came, he went, and Lance was _kicking_ himself for not thinking of getting his number.

Sighing, Lance slumped down onto his long since abandoned homework. 

He was supposed to be working on a paper for his photography class but the words weren’t coming to him. Instead, he had ended up scrolling through ASL learning websites and now he was spiraling.

Lance didn’t know what he was expecting after meeting Keith but it surely wasn't supposed to end with him thinking about the guy non-stop.

Their interaction had ended hours ago but here he was, sitting at the kitchen counter, having a mental crisis over a guy he might not ever see again

What did he ever do to deserve this?

Having been so lost in thought he didn’t even notice Hunk trying to gain his attention.

“Lance? You okay buddy?” 

Lance could practically see the concern in his voice and didn’t need to look at him to know the face he was making. 

Hunk was too good for this cruel unforgiving world.

“Yeah, buddy I’m just-”

“Uncle Lance is thinking of his _boyfriend_.” a voice speaks up from on the couch behind him and Lance’s head snaps up for the trillionth time today.

“AYAH!” Lance’s exclamation is met with the 6-year-old’s cackles and Lance can practically feel his resolve loosen as he watches her snuggle closer to the stuffed porcupine that he won her at the fair 2 years ago. 

He remembered the way her face lit up at the sight of it and he knew he needed to win it for her. Luckily he had a pretty decent aim and managed to beat the shooting game no problem. 

To say she was ecstatic was an understatement. 

As soon as he gave it to her, it was named Paqui, and the two have been inseparable since.

“Soooo, a boyfriend huh?” Hunk’s voice pipes up and Lance doesn’t have to look back to see the grin on his face.

“He’s NOT my _boyfriend,”_ Lance grumbles as he attempts to return to his assignment, but to no avail.

“Oh come, dude, I’ve been standing here for the last hour watching you grumble and pout about whatever's going on in that head of yours.”

“I’m just-“

“And don’t even try to say you’re just struggling with your homework. I know you don’t struggle with your photography stuff so don’t even try it. You’ve been off since we got back from the bakery.”

Hunk gives him a reassuring look, and Lance sighs.

“Ok, so there is a guy-”

“I knew it”

“-but nothing is gonna happen between us. I literally met the guy _today_ and in the second that I was with him I couldn’t even bother to remember that phones _existed_ and I failed to get his number.”

“Dang bud. I’m sure you’ll see him again. Not to brag but if he’s been to the bakery before, I’m sure he’ll come again.” Hunk's tone is nothing but reassuring and somehow it has Lance feeling better than he has in hours and he can’t help but smile at him.

“Yeah, daddy’s treats are the best! That guy will be back in no time!” Ayah shouts, throwing her porcupine in the air from her excitement.

Their conversation is interrupted by a knock on the door.

Seeing as Hunk was busy cooking dinner and Ayah was immersed watching her show so Lance got up from his assignment to get the door, besides it wasn’t like he was getting very far.

He doesn’t even make it half-way before the door opens and Pidge walks through it.

“Pidge! What the heck!”

“What? You took too long to get it.”

“That doesn’t mean you can just- oh, hello?” Lance cuts himself off after he notices that there’s another person by the door and he almost does a double-take.

In their very own doorway stands another Pidge.

“Pidge I knew you were smart but I’d never thought you’d clone yourself.” Lance is practically dumbstruck at the sight. That’s cut short though when he suddenly hears Pidge cackling.

“Lance, this is my brother, Matt. Matt this is Lance.”

Lance nods in understanding and holds out his hand to shake Matt’s.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” 

“Yeah! Likewise! Pidge has told me so much about you.”

“Hopefully nothing too bad.” Lance chuckles, knowing Pidge wouldn’t say anything about him that was too terrible. Then again, she might have known more things about him than he did.

Lance has them come over to the couches and upon seeing Pidge, Ayah jumps up to hug her.

“Hiya, there squirt! How was school.”

“It was great! Today Jimmy Nelson tried to stick a bug in my shoe but instead, I picked it up and put it in his desk so now he thinks bugs are out to get him.” Pidge chuckles at the little girl's antics and Lance is 100% certain that they had initially planned that outcome from the beginning.

“So Lance, Pidge tells me you’re into photography.”

At that, Lance can't contain his smile. 

“Yeah. I actually love taking pictures and I think my skills are pretty decent.”

“Try absolutely amazing!” Pidge pipes up next to them.

“I mean they're ok-” Lance starts but is cut off by Matt.

“Trust me when Pidge says amazing, she means amazing. I’m actually a journalist and my department needs a new photographer. I wouldn’t mind looking at some of your stuff and submitting them to my boss.”

“Really? Are you sure it's okay?”

“Yeah, man! Here let's exchange each other’s information and we can set something up.”

“Wow, yeah! That sounds great.”

After exchanging info, they sit and chat a little moment longer before Hunk appears from the kitchen.

“Hey, Lance was that Pidge earlier? She said she was bringing a guest and I’m-” Hunk walks through the doorway wiping his hands on a towel before suddenly cutting himself off from what he was saying. 

Looking over Lance sees that Hunk is, well to put in short, frozen. He stands by the doorway gaping like a fish, the towel that was once in his hands now on the floor.

Confused Lance looks around the room before he sees that Matt is also frozen in his spot. 

With a quick glance at Pidge, it clicks instantly and suddenly he and Pidge are moving at the same time.

“Hey, Matt this Hunk! My best friend.”

“Hunk! This is my brother Matt!”

Lance and Pidge quickly move the two boys closer together and he swears he can see the gears turning in their heads. 

”Hi I’m Hunk.” 

“Yes you are-” Matt starts “I mean of course you're hunky. I MEAN, YOU’RE HUNK. Pidge has told me lots about you.”

Both boys instantly flush a bright red and it takes everything for Lance and Pidge not to burst out laughing.

“Anyway, Hunk, I’m sure you came out here to tell us that the food is ready so let's get to it we wouldn’t want all that food to go to waste huh.”

“Huh? Oh yea, let's go. Ayah baby, time for dinner.” Hunk shouts and the group follows after him once the 6-year-old meets them at the doorway.

Dinner is spent lively, jokes, and stories are tossed around the table as they take their fill of Hunks cooking.

It’s not until later when Hunk and Lance are washing dishes that the atmosphere changes.

Their guests have since left and Ayah is sound asleep after being sung to bed by both Hunk and Lance.

“Soo… Matt huh?” Lance pipes up only to be met with the slap of a towel. “Hey, I’m just asking. The guy literally made you short-circuit.”

“I did NOT short-circuit.”

“Don't worry! You made him short-circuit too, ask Pidge, she's a witness.”

“Ok, so he was cute but still, I don't know…” Hunk's voice softens and Lance looks over to see his lip trembling.

“Hey, buddy, what’s wrong?”

“I’m terrible, aren’t I, for feeling like this? I mean Amala was my _everything._ I can’t just do that to her.” Tears start to make their way down Hunk's cheeks and Lance feels his heart clench at the sight.

“No buddy. Amala knows you loved her with everything you had. She wouldn’t want you beating yourself up over something you can’t control. Her death wasn’t your fault and she would want you to move on.” Lance tugs Hunk to his chest and rubs his back as the man cries into his shoulder. 

After a moment, Hunk's sniffles and manages to calm himself down. 

“You feeling better?” Hunk nods in response and Lance moves his hand to his head to ruffle his hair, “Go get some rest, I’ll finish up the rest.” 

Hunk's shoulders slump in reluctance, too exhausted to fight back, and heads over to his room.

Lance sighs, Hunk really deserved more than what the world kept throwing at him. 

It hadn’t been easy. 

Admittedly, it probably would have been easier if Amala _had_ been here.

But she wasn’t.

And that was a cruel reality that had taken a deep toll on Hunk.

Still though, Lance knew Hunk deserved someone who would help him see the same qualities he knew Amala had once seen in him.

As he continued with his task of putting away the dishes, he failed to realize the piter-patter of feet and the quiet close of a door.

* * *

In her room Ayah lays in her bed.

She had tried to sneak out in hopes of stealing a cookie from the kitchen when she stumbled on her dad and her uncle's conversation.

She'd never met her mother, but both Lance and Hunk had told Ayah stories upon stories about when the three of them were teenagers.

She loved her mother very much, of course she did.

But her father was hurting, and until he could move on, he would continue to do so.

And that's when Ayah had her first idea of many.

It was obvious that her dad had a crush on Pidge's brother and Matt returned the sentiment, at least he seemed to.

So what was the harm in possibly setting them up.

And while she's at it she could probably get Lance and the guy from the bakery together too.

Before drifting off to sleep she was left with one final thought,

_"I gotta tell Pidge."_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!! Here's chapter 3!! Hope y'all enjoy. <3

"Aunt Pidge! I need your brother to marry my daddy.”

Pidge just barely manages to keep herself from choking on her coffee, The 6-year-old choosing to bombard her with bizarre requests only seconds after closing the front door.

“I’m sorry- what?” Pidge manages to get out.

_ “Was this kid trying to give me a heart attack?” _

Ayah responds to the question with an exasperated huff that almost has Pidge smirking in amusement.  _ Almost.  _ Pidge was still trying to get her breathing back to normal from almost choking to death.

“I said that-”

“No, I  _ heard  _ what you said,” began Pidge once she could speak, “What I want to know is, why the sudden need for a new dad when I know you have a perfectly good one at home.” 

"I can't tell you. It's a secret." 

Pidge didn't need to look up from her mug to know that Ayah was trying to weasel her way out of telling her the truth. 

Still, she looked up anyway.

Before her, Ayah was swaying back and forth on her toes, the blue dress she was wearing shuffling at the movement. A sweet smile graced her face, and if Pidge were Hunk  _ or Lance _ , she'd have fallen for the innocent card.

Unluckily for Ayah, she wasn't as easily deterred.

"Nuh-uh, you tell me right now, or you can kiss your new dad goodbye."

At this, Ayah stops, contemplating whether or not she should tell Pidge about the events that occurred the night before.

She's silent for another moment before a look of determination crosses her face.

"My daddy likes your brother, but he doesn't wanna do anything bout it because of mommy."

At this, Pidge feels her eyes widen.

"Ayah, this isn't something we can just get involved in," Pidge hesitates before continuing, "Your dad will do it on his own when he's ready."

"He was so sad that he was crying, I don't want daddy to feel sad anymore," tears begin to glisten in Ayah's eyes, but soon the 6-year-old's resolve is put back into place.

If Pidge had to describe Ayah in one word, it'd probably be stubborn.

Hunk and Lance raised Ayah to have the confidence of a theater kid,  _ consistently  _ reminding her that she could:  _ "do anything she set her mind to." _

Even though it was  _ amazing  _ of them to raise her like that, their doing so had managed to create a monster.

Ayah, like her guardians, tended to get herself into trouble, trouble that was avoidable if she would just quit while she was ahead.

Spoiler alert, she never did.

Though, it wasn't like Pidge had any room to talk. 

She had been on her side of trouble a few times. She assumes it's why Ayah entrusts her with her shenanigans, and why she always asked Pidge for new ways to prank the boys in her class when they got a little  _ too  _ boy-ish.

Even though Pidge had been pretty much used to being dragged into the little girl's schemes, she swore this kid might end up actually killing her one day.

Pressing her pointer fingers to her temples, she sighs.

"Fine, I'll ask Matt and see what he says. But, if your dad turns him down, then that's it. You're not allowed to interfere in his love life until you're at least 15."

"Why 15?"

"Because by then I'll legally be too old to help you with your little schemes." At this Ayah pouts, the expression has her round cheeks getting impossibly. "Whatd'ya say squirt? We got a deal?"

Ayah responds with a whoop, her arms rising up into the air and the bun on her head bobbing back and forth at the enthusiasm.

“Alright then, let's get you to school.”

* * *

To say that Ayah had spent her day preoccupied was probably an understatement.

She had barely been able to keep up her duties as the class’ boy terrorizer. Which allowed her male classmates to finally gain a sliver of a break from her pranks, as she was too busy coming up with a plan to set her dad up with Matt.

Even though Pidge had agreed on helping her with the scheme, she knew she was on her own with the plan-making in general. Ayah was aware that Pidge would mostly go along with any reasonable plan that she came up with, the only problem was that Ayah didn’t really know where to start.

Not to mention she also had the side project of finding herself a new uncle too.

She was already aware that her uncle liked the guy from the bakery, that much was a given. 

And since she had seen said guy secretly staring at him back, she could assume he returned the feeling. 

The only question was, how was she going to set them up?

So again, she had another set of subjects that were in desperate need of her assistance yet she had no idea how to help them.

She supposed that she could get her information on Matt directly from Pidge so that helped, but bakery dude would be tricky.

She had no idea who this guy was, and it wasn't like she could just walk up to the guy.

The last time she did that, her uncle got upset at her, which led to a lecture about stranger danger from her father.

So no, that was not what she wanted to do, but seeing as she didn't seem to have a choice, she was going to have to anyway.

Even at her age, she was aware that something needed to be done about the single men in her life.

Sighing she pulled out her notebook and a pencil as she waited for either Lance or Hunk to pick her up. 

Most of the kids at the school had been picked up already, a few of them still standing around as their parents made conversation with their teacher Ms. Romelle.

Ms. Romelle was without-a-doubt Ayah’s favorite teacher. She had long blonde hair that was usually tied in a low braid along her back and a voice that was smooth and sweet like honey. The woman had come over from England to their town to study at one of the nearby universities and in that time began interning at a local elementary school where she currently remained teaching. She was the kindest person Ayah had come to meet. The woman herself had taken to Ayah's mischievous nature, and the two often spent their time chatting while they waited for Ayah to get picked up. If there was one thing that Ayah loved about her, it was how bubbly the woman was. Every single one of her students was met with the same kindness and joy as the other, the other teachers included. The woman was practically the human embodiment of sunshine.

"Hello, Ayah. You seemed distraught today in class. Is everything okay." Ayah’s ears were met with her teacher's British accent and she couldn’t help but smile.

"I'm okay, Ms. Romelle. I've just been thinking about some things."

"Ah, I see, more mischievous ways to torment your male classmates?" Romelle laughed, light and airy, the sound being contagious enough to invoke Ayah's own laugh right alongside it

"No, it's not that," Ayah began, taking a breath before continuing, her laughter dying down. "I'm just trying to come up with a surprise for my daddy and Uncle Lance."

"Oh, I see, it's a top-secret mission." Romelle supplied, smoothing down the hair on Ayah's head. 

“Yeah, but it’s hard for me to come up with a plan for it.”

“Ah, I see. Well, it always helps to have all the information necessary to be successful on a mission.”

“Hmm, maybe you're right.”

"I'm actually in the middle of my own as well," At this Ayah perks up, her eyes glimmering with excitement. “Maybe helping me with it will help you come up with a plan for your own mission.”

"Really?! What is it?!"

"The school is trying to have a fundraiser to fix the auditorium, and we were trying to come up with ideas that could help raise money for it. The school committee has put me in charge of it but I can’t seem to come up with anything good."

"Hmm, what about a bake sale?" Ayah supplies to which Romelle responds with a shake of her head before she speaks up again.

"I thought about that, but some parents might not really be up to the idea of baking treats, and I would make them myself, but I'm a terrible baker." 

Ayah hums in understanding before she's suddenly hit with an idea, "What if you ask Coran's Bakery to help," looking over at her teacher, she is met with a confused look.

"Coran's Bakery?"

"Yeah! The school can hold the fundraiser there. Some of the money from the treats can go to the school, and more people will know more about Mr. Coran's shop!"

"That sounds like a splendid idea!" Romelle cheers and pokes the little girl's cheeks, Ayah responds with a giggle before continuing, "I can ask Mr. Coran about it since I’m going over there today!"

"That's great! I'll write down my number so that you can give it to him, and we can talk about it more.” 

Ayah offers up her notebook just as she sees her father coming up the path of her school to pick her up.

“Hey, sweetheart! Ready to get going?” Hunk asks as Ayah puts her notebook back in her book bag.

“Yes!” she starts, jumping up from her spot, turning to give Ms. Romelle a wave and a “goodbye.” She skips over to where her father is kneeling and jumps up to wrap her arms around his neck.

“How was your day sweet pea?” Hunk asks as he takes his daughter's book bag and slings it over her shoulder before grabbing onto her hand.

Ayah begins filling her father in about her and Ms. Romelle's fundraiser plan as they make their way to Coran’s bakery for her father’s afternoon shift.

After their walk over to the bakery, Ayah takes a seat at her and Lance’s usual booth while Hunk goes to get Coran.

Ayah had insisted that she be the one to discuss the fundraiser plan with Mr. Coran. Seeing as it was her plan, to begin with. 

She was determined to do right by her favorite teacher.

After a few minutes, the ginger-haired bakery owner made his way over to the booth and sat down.

“Hello, Mr. Coran! How are you today?”

“Ms. Ayah! I’m quite well, how are you doing today,” the Australian quips up as he settles himself in the booth. “Your father tells me you’re here to talk business.”

At this, Ayah nods and smiles before she begins filling him in on the plan, Mr. Coran listening intently to what she had to say.

The man had been in the area for a good amount of time, his thick accent never wavering from its place in his voice. Coran would often reminisce about many of the things he missed in Australia, though he would often steer clear of any details about his personal life.

So much so that Ayah and Lance had made it a game to figure out what the man actually did before coming here.

Lance was certain the baker had been a secret agent at one point with how good the man’s reflexes were, swearing that he had once seen the skinny man lift a 20-pound sack of flour all by himself.

Ayah was convinced that he’d been a ringleader of a circus, declaring that she once saw him talking to little mice and training them to do some tricks.

“That sounds like an excellent idea to me, young lady,” Coran begins after learning about the proposition, “But I’m afraid I would have to run it by Allura first before anything.”

The only factual things that Hunk, Lance, and Ayah knew about Coran were that he had come over from Australia to take care of his niece Allura. The woman came by the bakery at least three times a week to check on the shop's finances, and with her being a lawyer and all, it made sense that Coran would ask for her input first.

“My teacher, Ms. Romelle, told me to give you her number so that you could talk bout it more.” reaching for the notebook and flips it open to the page with the number before tearing it out and giving it to him.

“Thank my dear, I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out. I’m sure your teacher will be quite pleased.” the man says before getting up and returning to the back of the shop after patting her head.

Ayah grins at her accomplished mission, her mood switching to an extra determined one as she sets her focus back on coupling up the men in her life.


End file.
